Sculptures from the Peter Rabbit Tales on the Tyne event were sold in an auction at Newcastle Civic Centre to raise money for the hospice.
A free public art trail featuring Peter Rabbit has raised a record-breaking £300k for St Oswalds Hospice in the North East.
For nine weeks over the summer, individually painted sculptures of Peter Rabbit adorned streets and parks across Newcastle and North Tyneside. The Peter Rabbit Tales on the Tyne event culminated with an auction at Newcastle Civic Centre to raise funds for the hospice. Online bidders from across the world joined buyers from closer to home to compete for 40 of the 5ft sculptures from the trail along with a smaller
number of pieces created specifically for the auction.
It was a full-size bench adorned with a small Peter Rabbit sculpture, that stole the show. A Love Letter to the British Countryside, decorated by acclaimed Northumberland wildlife artist Jina Gelder, cleared the £12k mark – the most paid for any sculpture at previous St Oswald’s art trails. Following a tensely fought bidding war led by auctioneer Fred Wyrley-Birch from Newcastle’s Anderson & Garland, the sculpture was sold for a staggering £52,500.
Each of the sculptures had been individually decorated with Lot 33, Peter Rabbit in the Garden, by Emma Bridgewater raising £6k, and Hoppy Days – a favourite with visitors to the trail – raising £10k. However, Lot 35, decorated as his creator Beatrix Potter and designed by artist Jodie Silverman, raised the highest amount for any rabbit sculpture, going for £21k.
Steph Edusei, Chief Executive at St Oswald’s Hospice, said: “Like many hospices we are operating in a challenging financial environment, but we use every single pound wisely. I have been amazed by the dedication, creativity and hard work that has gone into bringing this trail to life, both behind the scenes and throughout the summer. Seeing the excitement and enthusiasm from communities across the region has been truly special.
“The response from the public has been overwhelming, and this record-breaking auction has provided a fitting finale to an unforgettable summer as we celebrate 40 years of care at St Oswald’s Hospice.”
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